


Lonely Ruler

by UndertaleThingem



Series: Papyrus Bingo Prompts [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, King Papyrus (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale) Knows More Than He Lets On, Papyrus (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Papyrus (Undertale)-centric, Post-Undertale Neutral Route - King Papyrus Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27393517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndertaleThingem/pseuds/UndertaleThingem
Summary: It's lonely at the top, as the saying goes.Papyrus should have everything he wanted. He was crowned king, a surprise to everyone, even him--but popularity, friends, respect... it should all finally be his. But he has to prove himself--prove he can be responsible, take on every duty expected of him with a smile. He has to set a good example for everyone.It's his job, and his alone.
Relationships: Papyrus & Sans (Undertale)
Series: Papyrus Bingo Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1786012
Comments: 31
Kudos: 88





	Lonely Ruler

Papyrus looked out over the garden, hands propped on his hips as he surveyed it. The golden flowers were growing well, no doubt thanks to his all-night marathon of researching plant care a while back, not long after he'd been crowned. He had to do his best for them--Asgore had put so much into keeping them alive down here. The garden was a little piece of the surface, and it brought hope to anyone who visited--and now, it felt like a little of the old king was still around. He couldn't let that fade! So he did his best to tend to them when he had the chance. He was also secretly hoping to see a particular flower here, but he hadn't shown up for a while now. Papyrus hoped he wasn't on 'vacation', too.

Papyrus grimaced, and set the watering can down beside the throne. It still didn't feel like he was allowed to sit in it, but that was fine because he was usually too busy to sit anyway. He clapped to knock the dirt from his gloves and left the throne room behind. It was time to start the day's spaghetti, and he was really hoping to make a good batch. He could tell it still needed a lot of work... but he couldn't give up. He had to set a good example. Everyone was counting on him now.

"had a chance to chill, bro?" Sans said, beside him as he entered the hall to head back into what was now his house.

"Sans! You know I don't 'chill' anymore since we moved out of Snowdin!" Papyrus replied, not missing a beat. "I believe the new term is 'have a moment to myself'."

"hmm... seems a bit wordy to me," Sans replied with a shrug.

"I didn't ask your opinion!" Papyrus retorted playfully. "The answer to your question is yes, if that's what you wanted to know. The flowers have been lovingly tended by my expert hand, and I was about to start the day's pasta production."

"gotcha," Sans noted. "i, uh, got ahead on some of my paperwork, so..."

Papyrus glanced at his brother as they climbed the stairs. "You want to take a break?"

Sans' eyes widened a little, then closed as he shook his head. "nah, actually, i was wondering if i could help you out."

"I can't believe it! My brother has refused a break--royal life has changed you!"

Sans chuckled. "eh, more like royal life has kept me from pestering my little bro like i always do. i dunno who was doing asgore's tax forms before, but, they had awful handwriting. it took me two hours to figure out what everything in this one file said."

"And I'm sure the next person will have just as much luck reading yours," Papyrus teased. "In all honesty, brother, I'm both glad and proud that you've taken this on. Seeing you working so hard... is very impressive!"

"well, someone had to do it," Sans replied simply, "and you already have enough on your plate, mr. king."

The title sent a shudder up Papyrus' spine. It wasn't his, he didn't deserve to be called it, wasn't what he was cut out for. But he had to try. Just until things went back.

"And soon it will be spaghetti! Come on brother, let's get cooking--everyone's looking forward to it!"

Papyrus wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since he'd been crowned king, though someone--Sans, maybe--was certainly keeping track. He'd just been too busy to worry about how many days, weeks, months had passed since the crown had been placed on his head by Gerson, the closest thing the Underground had to an authority at the time. The crowd had cheered, but it seemed feeble; no one really knew who he was or how he'd been voted king, and he couldn't say he knew either. He'd wished, more than anything, to see Undyne's face beaming at him in that moment--but the Royal Guard's ranks had been decimated, and only a few of them remained to salute as he stood to wave.

No one remembered a time Asgore hadn't ruled, so there was no one to guide him. No one could offer him wisdom on how to run a kingdom; Sans was the closest thing he had to an adviser, and, well... it was Sans. Papyrus would have to find his own path as king, and that meant getting a sense of his people.

So not long after his ceremony and getting moved into the castle, he'd set out to greet everyone. And he meant _everyone_ \--he was the king, and a king had to know his people! And they had to know him, and see he was involved, invested in them! As long as he was king, he'd be the best king, and finally prove himself. He'd hit the pavement and do it all firsthand.

"Hello!" he'd called to the first people he met, giving them an energetic wave. "Greetings from your newest king--I, the Great Papyrus! How do you do, fellow monsters? I'm here to meet you!"

The trio--one bunny monster and two astigmatisms--stared back at him, wide-eyed and shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh, not to worry, I'm not slacking on my duties as your new ruler! Slacking would be very un-Papyrus of me, and that won't do! No! You can count on me one zillion percent of the time! I'm very reliable. Now, my brother... well, he's doing his best, but becoming royalty has done little for his napping habits. Not a problem for me! I don't sleep."

The others smiled nervously. Had he said something wrong?

"W-Well, I have a lot more people to say hello to, so, I'll be on my way! See you later!"

He'd marched on down the road, already looking forward to the next conversation. Maybe the first one hadn't gone so well, but they couldn't all go badly. As he continued on, he met a catlike monster as they exited a shop. "Oh! Hello there! How are you on this fine day?"

"Uh! F-fine, your--your majesty," the monster replied, startled, and he scoffed.

"Oh please! You can just call me Papyrus! I don't want anyone to be intimidated just because I'm the king! So tell me, anything fun planned for today? Brilliant schemes, genius plots, mind-bendingly incredible ideas that will wow and amaze?"

They gave a wincing smile. "Um, no, just running errands."

"I see! Very pertinent of you. One must always be prepared and well-stocked for whatever the day throws at them! Such as little white dogs who steal your ingredients... and utensils... and stove... But that was just one time! He put it back, which was more than I expected of the scallywag. Why would a dog even need a stove? Don't they eat dog food? ... Can you cook dog food?"

The other monster squirmed, and spoke up. "That's, um, very interesting, sir, but I've, uh, got a lot to do, so if you don't mind..."

"Oh, but of course! Don't let me keep you--I have my duties, you have yours. Have a good day!"

Papyrus waved as they hurried off, then lowered a brow. He'd been hoping for a warmer reception... This conversation had also gone... less than brilliantly. Well, he'd caught them while they were busy--not to mention he was the king. His subjects were probably just intimidated by him. Of course, no one had ever been intimidated by Asgore... Not really, although Undyne had told him about how it took her a long time to defeat Asgore....

But, this was social networking, not combat, and Asgore had been something of a softhearted pushover. As far as anyone knew, he could be a terrible tyrant who'd only attained the position via unsavory means! It wasn't true in the slightest, but he had to assuage their fears. He'd win them over eventually, he just had to keep trying! He strode forth, undaunted, knocking on doors, popping into shops, and checking back alleys--everyone knew that's where the secret content was.

By the time he'd made it from New Home to Snowdin, he was exhausted, but he'd achieved his goal of saying hello to every monster he came across. It was... a dishearteningly reduced number, but he didn't think about that, couldn't let it bring him down--he was glad there were as many as there were, and that he'd been able to greet them personally. But... that had been unsatisfying too. It seemed like everyone just... didn't know what to say--like they were overwhelmed by him. Papyrus made a face as he stirred the sauce, and Sans quirked a brow.

"everything ok bro?"

He jolted from his reverie. "Hm! Yes! Just lost in thought, that's all!"

"lost in the sauce, gotcha."

"No! Lost in--never mind," Papyrus huffed, realizing his brother was just making a joke. As much as Sans' teasing could annoy him, Papyrus had to agree with what he'd said earlier--they hadn't had much time to hang out lately. Some days they hardly saw each other at all, and it was... weird. Lonely.

He'd always dreamed of the day crowds would line the streets to see him, cheering his name. But this wasn't what he'd envisioned, the circumstances were all wrong. The guard all saluted him very officially, and the rest of the populace deferred to him. He was the most well-known person in the Underground now, but his friend count had... Well, he certainly didn't want to admit it, but it had dropped even lower than when the human had come through. He'd returned home that night disheartened.

The human hadn't returned the message he and Sans had left on their phone. Maybe they'd lost it. Maybe... they were ashamed of what they'd done, and couldn't bear to come back. Maybe they were satisfied with their adventure.

He wasn't sure if he missed them, or missed the fun they might've had together.

Being king didn't give him much time for fun. He and Sans bantered while he worked on cooking the biggest pot of spaghetti he could manage. Papyrus really did miss this, but Sans had surprised him--he'd thrown himself into managing the kingdom's finances and legal matters, and had brushed Papyrus off when he'd offered to help. He'd claimed it was too boring for Papyrus to bother with and that he shouldn't worry about it. But the kingdom was his responsibility--not Sans'. He knew Sans was only denying his help because he didn't want him to get bogged down with something decidedly difficult and dull. But Papyrus didn't want his brother to be dealing with that either. Maybe he'd find someone who could handle organizing the old tax forms--then again, he liked organizing.

He liked keeping busy. It was something that took his mind off... everything else.

They finished the first batch of spaghetti, and Papyrus sent it out with a pair of guards to distribute it before beginning the next. Sans tried to hang around, but looked as though he'd fall asleep any moment so Papyrus dismissed him, telling him to take an actual break. He'd manage this round of pasta on his own, as he had dozens of times before. Sans wearily conceded, shuffling off for a nap beside the fireplace, leaving Papyrus to work alone. He mashed the tomatoes for the sauce, and was suddenly overcome.

What he wouldn't give to be training with Undyne right now.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and took a deep breath. It was okay, he was fine, he had to keep going for everyone's sake. Undyne was... on 'vacation'. She'd be back eventually.

Same with Mettaton. TV programming was a little more erratic now that he wasn't around to run everything. Papyrus had made sure there was always a channel showing reruns of all the movies and shows the star had made, but no one had gotten up the confidence to make new programming. If Papyrus wasn't already busy being king, maybe he could've been the Underground's new star. Maybe, when he had the time, he'd record some helpful PSAs or something.

He finished making the last of the spaghetti sometime late afternoon. Feeling like he'd cooked for just as long as all the noodles he'd served, he retreated to the bathroom to get washed up before collapsing gratefully onto his bed. He could almost, _almost_ go for a nap himself.

But he had work to do. After a few minutes of laying in a bed that was much too big for him (and not nearly as cool as his racecar bed), he got back up and sat at the desk. He'd resolved to equip the Underground with new puzzles so the next humans who came through could be properly introduced to monster traditions--and that meant new designs. He was hoping to get these to the engineers at the Core next week. He arranged his drafting tools neatly, laid out a sheet of paper, and began sketching.

A knock on the front door came, startling him from his thoughts, and he got up to answer it. He was met by a pair of guards, who bowed upon his appearance. Behind them a much shorter, crystalline monster stood wringing their hands.

"Sir, it's the head engineer for the Core," one of the guards explained, and they parted to let the other monster step forward.

"Oh yes, hello Drewzy! I was just working on the new puzzles, would you like to see my latest handiwork?" he greeted brightly, but Drewzy shook their head.

"I'm afraid I come with urgent news," they replied in a hissing voice. "My crew is doing their best, but we've encountered difficulty in keeping the magnetic fields in the main reactor stable. Doctor Alphys always knew what to do, but she's... What I'm saying is, we either need an expert in physics to examine it, or we'll have to shut the Core down until we can figure out what's going on."

Papyrus stood, thinking. That's right. He... needed to find a Royal Scientist. He couldn't do that too, even if he... had experience.

"Not to worry! I'm very glad you've come to me with this problem, because I am excellent at solving problems!" he answered, striking a pose. "Try rerouting power through the backups, away from the main system--reconfigure the entire layout if you must. That should still provide enough power, and relieve the strain on the reactor--the last thing we need is another purely hypothetical rip in spacetime! Let me know how it goes and if you have any further complications, and I'll take care of the expert! Is that all, Drewzy?"

They nodded wearily, though they seemed impressed by his suggestion. "Yes, that should do for now. But please hurry, sir."

"Of course! You can count on Papyrus!" he replied, and waved as Drewzy set off before returning to his room.

He had no choice. He couldn't be the one to work on the Core, he was the king. It would have to be someone else, and the only person he knew was qualified was someone who'd likely feel just as much apprehension about it as he did. But Papyrus knew he could do it, if he just tried. He'd line up a few other things first, and got to work penning a call for monsters who liked working with numbers.

A few days later, he had a small group ready to help Sans get through the kingdom's lingering paperwork. Sans refused the help briefly--but couldn't resist a lighter workload after months of doing hardly anything else. The other monsters he'd hired were happy to have steady work from the king, and picked up their duties quickly. The archives weren't particularly well-organized, but between his instruction, Sans' oversight, and their hard work, the files began to shape up. It felt like progress.

"bro, maybe you should think about hiring some folks to help with the spaghetti," Sans suggested while watching him cook one day, and Papyrus sighed.

"I can't delegate all of my duties! What good is a king who won't do anything for his people? I am the king of doing things!" he rebuked, and Sans chuckled.

"you're just looking pretty steamed."

"Sans! Your terrible puns are going to make the spaghetti taste weird," Papyrus replied, "and that's not going to help its reputation."

"what if that's the missing ingredient though?" Sans teased, and Papyrus flung a noodle at him that stuck across his face.

"That can't possibly be true, because all your puns are absolutely tasteless! Nyeh heh heh heh heh!"

Sans cracked up, and Papyrus couldn't remember the last time his brother had laughed so hard. Actually, he couldn't remember the last time either of them had laughed so hard, and he tried not to let that realization spoil his good mood.

"you're probably right," Sans conceded lightly, "i should spice things up, but i haven't had the thyme."

"Saaans! I will banish you from my kitchen for pun crimes!"

"whoa, does that mean you'll throw me in the pungeon?"

"No! The regular dungeon, because the pungeon wouldn't be torture for you. Then again, endlessly torturing you with bad puns might make you give up on them at last. You'll finally know what I've had to deal with!"

"oh man, that's harsh bro."

"It's what you deserve!"

Sans grabbed his chest in mock pain. "betrayed by my own brother. it's true what they say, power does things to you."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, dear brother--I was already powerful! Nyeh heh heh!"

"then everybody better look out, 'cause we got a real tyrant on the throne," Sans teased, and Papyrus laughed.

"Yes! Papyrus the Great and Terrible! Ruling with an iron fist as he doles out spaghetti to those in need, encourages everyone to try their best and take care of one another, and makes sure all our best puzzles are ready when the next human arrives."

"truly terrifying, bro," Sans said warmly. "well, if you don't need my help here, i'll go back to working out the new curriculum."

"Oh, Sans! You knew I wanted to help with that!" Papyrus whined.

"yeah, i know," Sans replied, scratching the back of his head, "but i figured you already had enough on your mind."

"Well, yes, but not more than I can handle," Papyrus said, knocking stray sauce from his spoon before he transferred it to the pasta. "I want to make sure the youths are properly informed on all aspects of monster culture and knowledge, and not just the history of Undernet memes or something silly like you would want to learn."

Sans scoffed. "c'mon, you know i support a full education. they'd learn about pranks too."

Papyrus groaned, only partly because of Sans' words as he hefted the pot of finished spaghetti from the stove. "Well, we can go over it after I'm done serving this to the masses. I can't let the next generation go without learning about japes and shenanigans, and you'd surely forget."

"alright, taking notes. we got memes, japes, puns, pranks, hijinks, lojinks, and shenanigans on the curriculum so far. these kids are gonna be so smart."

By the time Sans couldn't keep his eyes open any longer that night, they had what Papyrus felt was a solid guide for the Underground's schools. The old curriculum put forth by Asgore had been a good baseline, and they'd kept much of it while tweaking some of the aspects that had fallen to the wayside--puzzle engineering and science, mainly. He wanted to get more feedback on it, so he'd present it to some teachers sometime next week, but he wrapped up the wording on the last page feeling satisfied. This was the last thing he'd needed Sans' help on directly. Running the kingdom was his job, not Sans'. It was time he asked him to do a different one.

He took care of the days' papers before Sans rose--there were some new recruits for the Royal Guard whose applications needed official stamps, and he signed off hoping he'd get a chance to see them in person soon. He was pleased to see new business licenses in the pile--an air of hopelessness had settled on everyone following Asgore's... departure, but at least a few monsters felt they could start something new, and that was promising. That'd be something he could mention in his next speech--any good news was sorely needed.

He cleaned the house, which didn't feel much like his, and tried not to think about what he was going to have to do very soon. The door to Sans' room clicked open, and Papyrus tried not to jump.

"hey papyrus," Sans greeted sleepily as he entered the room, "didn't mean to sleep in. what've we got today?"

"W-well, I, already did the days' forms," Papyrus started, trying to stay focused. It was time. "So... I... need you to go to the Core. And. Help the engineers. They're having trouble with the magnetic fields, and need someone who understands it to figure out what's wrong or they'll have to shut it down."

"oh, uh, ok. that sounds pretty bad. but... you're not seriously gonna send me, are you? there's, uh, gotta be plenty of people way more qualified."

Papyrus grimaced. "Sans... we both know you're good at science. Extremely good. It... used to be your thing. I... I know that changed, but, there's really no one else. Even the head engineer is stumped. I have to be the king, and, you... you're the only one... qualified. To. Be the Royal Scientist. At... at least while Alphys is... not here."

Sans stared at him, sockets wide.

"Please Sans. The Core has to work, or even more people will give up, and I can't allow it."

Sans fidgeted, apparently stunned into silence.

"I know it's not... not what you want, brother... but the people need us, need this, and I know how much you like science, and you really are very good at it, even if you don't think so. It doesn't have to be forever, but--"

"nah, i'll do it," Sans finally said.. "i... i can tell you're serious about this, so.... i gotta brush up on some stuff, but i'll take care of it bro, don't worry."

"Oh, thank you Sans!" Papyrus said, sweeping him into a grateful hug. "Let me know if there's anything you want! The rules say I can let you have whatever materials you need!"

"ok, cool," Sans said, still sounding muted. "if that's true, you gotta let me go to grillby's, 'cause the materials i need right now is food."

"Oh, fine," Papyrus groaned, letting him go, "but please don't dawdle! The engineers at the Core have been waiting long enough, and--oh, they might not believe you if you just show up. Um, here!"

He quickly grabbed pen and paper, scrawled a note, and signed it. "Here's your permission slip, brother. They have to believe you now!"

"cool. of course, they couldn't really stop me," Sans said with a wink, tucking the note into his pocket. "ok, in that case, i guess i'll see ya later bro."

With a blink, he was gone.

Papyrus wondered how much 'later' would be. He'd just given his brother a job that had killed both its previous occupants. In different ways, for different reasons. But it felt cursed all the same, and he inhaled deeply, hoping he hadn't just condemned his own brother. Sans was smart and definitely qualified, but he'd stepped away from science for a reason. So had Papyrus. He could only hope Sans'd had enough time to recover.

But the house was emptier than ever.

His next speech went well--he made sure to emphasize how well everyone was doing, and that there were new businesses to try, and that he was working hard to make sure everyone was taken care of. The crowd gathered before him was small, but smiled at his enthusiasm and clapped when he was done, so he congratulated himself on a job well done. He could do this, he could be the king! He still didn't have any idea how to break the barrier without using human souls, but, he could at least make sure everything else was going well.

He had followed Sans' suggestion to take on some assistants in his daily spaghetti production--he still oversaw everything so it wasn't truly giving it up, but it made the whole production go more quickly. Even better, he'd gotten word the flavor had improved as well, and it renewed his enthusiasm for the event. It felt like maybe he was getting the hang of this royalty thing. There was still an air of gloom pervading the kingdom, but he knew that if he kept working hard, things would improve.

"Drewzy! I hope you and your engineers are ready to behold my brilliant plans for the new puzzles!" he announced as he burst into the head engineer's office, startling the poor monster.

"Y-your majesty!" they hissed, dipping a quick bow. "I knew our appointment was today, but, this is--rather sudden."

"I'm afraid I can't help being dramatic," Papyrus replied, "but I'll try to give more warning next time! This is just so exciting! I've never had collaborators on my puzzles before."

Drewzy managed a smile. "Alright, let's see what you've got then. Asgore, er, was a traditionalist, and wasn't much for newer designs... So, unfortunately we haven't built a new puzzle in years."

"Well, worry no more! Puzzles are among my many passions," Papyrus assured them, "and I trust you and your fellows will have many ideas of their own. We can work on it together! Here, let's lay these out."

"Yes, of course, let me clear some space on my desk."

Papyrus laid down his blueprints, and waited eagerly as Drewzy looked them over, a light beginning to twinkle in their gemlike eyes as they read his notes. A real--well, a fellow--engineer was finally taking a look at his work! He couldn't wait to hear what they thought of his designs.

"Well, sir, I'm surprised at the complexity of these--they're very sophisticated. How long have you studied puzzle construction?"

"I--" Papyrus stopped--"am unsure! But it's been years, certainly! I've read every book there is on the various methods, and work hard to implement features that are both tricky, but fair."

"I can tell. Most of these are very classic styles, but you've done some interesting variations. The anti-frustration features are a good touch--my middle child struggles with many of the more complex puzzles in Hotland, for which the only answer is 'keep trying', and that's no consolation to her. I think we can work with these easily," Drewzy replied with a smile, then perked up as they remembered something. "Ah yes--Sans--your brother, right? He was surprisingly helpful with the Core. He came in, went right to one of the control panels on the lower levels, and in an hour the problem was fixed. We were so surprised--we didn't take him for a scientist, but..."

"Few people do!" Papyrus said, secretly proud of his brother. "Sans isn't one to brag openly about being a nerd."

Drewzy chuckled. "Well, if he's really going to be the Royal Scientist, he can't avoid it."

"No, I guess not. I should go see him! It's been a little while since I told him to do that, so I should check on what he's been up to."

"Well, if you don't have anything else to discuss, I can get to work on prototyping these," Drewzy said, gesturing at the blueprints. "I wouldn't want to keep the king from his family."

"How kind of you! If you have any questions, please let me know! I'm thrilled my puzzles will be the new standard, and your own ideas are welcome too! I'm sure they'll be great. If that's all, then I'll be off!"

"The new materials will certainly be an inspiration. I'm sure we'll speak again soon," Drewzy said, nodding.

Papyrus bowed, then swept from the room. He was very glad Drewzy liked his designs--no one had complimented his puzzles like that before! But... it was probably just because he was the king. He and Drewzy had barely met, and only for professional reasons... Perhaps it was too much to hope that they could be considered a friend. His excitement at finding a fellow puzzle enthusiast was further tempered by the fact Sans hadn't been in touch. How had he gone days without hearing from his brother? If the Core had been fixed so quickly, what had he been up to since then? Hopefully not just slacking off, but...

He reached the lab and entered--his soul twisted upon seeing that it had been left entirely untouched, like Alphys had never... He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clear his head, taking a few deep breaths. Sans was here somewhere. At least, probably.

"Sans! Hello? Are you in here, or slacking off as usual? Sans!"

His voice echoed through the lab, but received no answer. He wasn't entirely surprised, but couldn't help but be disappointed--he'd been looking forward to seeing his brother. But, if Sans wasn't here...

He sighed, and fidgeted with his gloves. He didn't want to leave, not if there was still a small chance his brother was around. He might be in the lower levels, or taking a nap...

"Sans, I'm leaving now, but I'll see you later! Don't get too lazy! I know you're doing great at whatever sciency thing you've been up to."

He left the lab, and took the elevator back up alone. Aside from the mechanical hum, it was quiet. The door finally opened, and Papyrus set foot on the cobblestone street... but couldn't move further. He couldn't stop thinking about his brother.

Where was he? How had he not seen him in days? What was he doing, was he okay, had he gotten hurt had he died was he dead he'd died he'd--

Papyrus inhaled, clutching his skull. No. He couldn't give in. He was a tough skeleton, he could do this, he could hang on. Sans was okay, and if he wasn't okay, then he would be when the world reset. It was fine. Not seeing him today didn't mean he was dead--he was probably just busy, or napping. He took a few more shaky breaths, then headed on his way. All he could do was keep smiling, and be strong for everyone else.

He returned to an empty house.

He had respect... at least, sort of. Everyone knew who he was. He had the most important job in the Underground. But he wasn't sure anyone wanted to be his friend, and he'd had to push away the one he still had. He'd heard leaders had to make hard decisions, but this... He was doing his best, wasn't he...?

Who was he kidding. He wasn't meant to be a leader. He was, at best, a side character in someone else's story.

Forgettable.

Why hadn't the human reset already?

Whatever. He'd keep going, because that was what everyone else needed. He would wait, keep busy, focus on his work--it was all he could do.

So he'd work tirelessly.

No, he could handle spaghetti duties, his assistants could go spend time with their families or other such things, he'd done it by himself before and he could do it again. He missed having other people around, but it was fine, it should be his responsibility anyway. Same as he could handle the paperwork too, actually--the people he'd hired to help his brother had done an excellent job in getting the archives all caught up, but he was the king and it really should be him filing everything. He'd have to learn to do it eventually, Sans couldn't keep the bad sides of his job from him forever.

Sans... where was that lazybones anyway? He hadn't heard from him lately. Well, that was fine, he was probably keeping busy, that was good for him! He was, probably inventing a ketchup fountain, or something typically Sans-y like that, it was fine. Completely, utterly fine. He wasn't worried that his brother had been swallowed up the same way his predecessors had been, that would be silly. It was Sans. What would he even do to make something like that happen? Cause a trash-based singularity? Actually maybe he shouldn't rule that one out...

No, no, that was ridiculous, Sans was fine. Papyrus would stay focused on his end of things, and that was going well! Production was up! Because he stayed up all night every night devising new puzzles, writing his next inspirational speech, planning how his battle with a new fallen human would play out to exquisite detail. Oh, he'd defeat them gloriously, then offer them mercy for they had fought valiantly too, but wasn't it better to be friends?! Yes! It would be perfect, he just had to decide what bullet patterns were his most impressive.

"Um, your majesty--not to be, um, rude, but, you seem... tired," a small furry monster piped up after his weekly speech. "Are you okay?"

He spun to face them and struck a pose. "Why! I appreciate your concern, my loyal subject! But! The Great Papyrus cannot rest! For he has far too much to do to ensure the happiness of everyone. So yes, I am absolutely, dapsolutely fine!"

Another monster raised their hand. "Um, sir? You ran a jumble contest and said the answers would be in the next week's speech, but, you didn't give a speech that week, so I was wondering, um, if this was the speech you meant? I just wanted to know before I turned in my answers."

Papyrus furrowed his brows. "Me? Skipping? A speech? It can't be true! I've given a speech every week since I started giving them, haven't I?"

A royal guard spoke up. "Er, no, King Papyrus. You missed last week's too. Uh... sorry..."

Papyrus stared at the ground for a moment--then perked back up with a grin. "Wowie! Time seems to have stopped being a thing for me for a little bit! I'll just have to give make-up speeches and corresponding jumbles with the appropriate prizes! Thank you for telling me, everyone--I'll work even harder to make sure I don't slip up like that again!"

He grinned and waved as the remaining monsters filed off, ignoring their concerned looks. He was fine! He'd missed, a couple weeks somehow? He really must have been working hard if he hadn't noticed, but he couldn't let it happen again. A mistake just meant he had to keep trying. He returned to the house that wasn't his home, and set about organizing all the papers and plans he'd made recently. All told, it added up to the right amount of time, but he certainly didn't remember it that way. He'd been so intent on doing everything, the time had simply slipped by.

He hadn't heard from his brother in all that time. Papyrus shivered. If Sans was okay, why hadn't he popped by, even once? It's not like it was hard for him, what with his shortcuts. Was he really that busy? Was he in trouble? Why hadn't anyone said anything? Was that good news? Did he...

Did he.

Not.

Care?

Papyrus paced. That couldn't be right. Sans didn't care about much, but Papyrus was certain he cared about him. The number of times Sans had only done something because he'd asked him to, or because it made him happy... But then why had he all but disappeared? Was he slacking off, wasting time at Grillby's when he should be doing science? Maybe he couldn't think of science to do--he had walked away from it after... _that_ had happened...

But Sans... had always tried to be around, if only loosely, to keep an eye on him. Had Sans decided he liked not having him around to nag him? Was he avoiding him? Maybe... maybe it was true he didn't care.

Papyrus sighed. He'd hoped Sans was just busy--maybe he still was. He wanted to believe that, very, very hard. But knowing how long it'd been without so much as a "heya" from him... Papyrus couldn't help but feel a little bitter. He'd been working so hard, alone...

And, well, it was going fine! He didn't need Sans checking on him. He could do this, _would_ do this, all by himself.

"bro?"

Papyrus jumped, realizing he'd been watering the same flower for too long. He dropped the can and spun--Sans was standing in the doorway, wearing a wrinkled lab coat over his hoodie. He could hardly believe it.

"S-Sans?"

"hey. sorry for, uh, disappearing on you," Sans replied, stepping into the throne room. "got real busy, lost track of time--alphys left a lot of... unfinished business. took me a while to clear everything up, but nothing you gotta worry about."

Papyrus stared at him, and something broke.

"Except you!" Papyrus burst. "You didn't call your own brother! For! Weeks!!"

"yeah, sorry," Sans replied, scratching the back of his head. "i kept meaning to, but, figured you were fine..."

"Of course I'm fine! I'm always fine!" he retorted sharply. "No one ever needs to to worry about me! I can handle everything by myself, and don't ever wonder if I'll ever see my brother again!"

He hated this--this anger that had suddenly bubbled up, how passive-aggressive he was being. Sans squirmed, looking ashamed as he ranted. He had to dial it back before he said something he really regretted, but it was like holding back a flood. He paced, heedless of the flowers underfoot.

"Obviously you're fine though, seeing as you can just saunter in here without a care in the world! I've been busy managing this kingdom, making sure everyone keeps working hard and doesn't give up! Have you done any of your work at all?! I doubt you invented anything except new ways to be lazy, but I suppose if nothing else it means you can't do anything reckless!"

"wh, bro--"

"Everyone is counting on me, and I don't have time for your slacking--no one does! So did you come here to say something useful, or must I tell you to go do your job like I always do?"

Sans stood, expression unreadable as he stared at him. Papyrus glared back. Now that his brother was here, he wasn't sure he wanted to see him at all. He really hadn't bothered to call him in all this time, hadn't bothered to check in even once. They didn't need one another like he'd always thought.

Finally, Sans let his shoulders sag. "ok. sorry for buggin' ya. let me know if there's anything you want me to work on."

Papyrus only just managed to bite back a sour comment--no, that would be going too far. He stayed silent as Sans shuffled from the room, then turned and headed for the barrier. It was the safest place--the only place--he could vent his feelings. Facing the pulsing wall of magic, he summoned four of his special attack and let loose. Their beams poured forth until he had nothing left to give, and he fell to his knees.

The barrier was unmoved.

Why? Why had the human come and done this? Had they thought he should be king? Did they hate him? Did they know how they'd left things? Even if they did, did they care? ... Had they forgotten?

It didn't matter. None of it. As always, he'd never had a choice. And now, in trying to be the best ruler, he'd pushed everyone away.

He'd gotten everything he deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, how's that for some Papyrus angst? The King Papyrus ending seems underappreciated when it comes to bad Undertale endings, and it was interesting to explore. That said, I didn't like leaving this story here--so keep an eye out for a second, somewhat cheerier part sometime in the future.
> 
> Edit: I almost forgot to mention that the prompt was requested by starsgivemehp and theadvertisement on tumblr!
> 
> A fun side note: 'Drewzy' is a play on druzy, a kind of fine crystalline formation; it's like natural glitter so if you like looking at pretty rocks, check it out ^^


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